other ventures. Further than this, the 

 trucking may be only a part time 

 venture with other income earned in 

 other jobs. For this reason many of 

 the announced trucking rates had 

 not changed radically during the past 

 years. Instead subsidies, special 

 grants, low labor returns to owners 

 plus supplementary occupations had 

 probably relieved the trucking rates 

 from their full cost burden. 



Some indication of other sources 

 of income was provided by the study. 

 Over 60 percent of the truckers had 

 other sources of income. The source 

 of this income varied as follows: 



Table 30. Source of Outside Income 

 of Can Truckers 



1 Feed, grain, pulp, etc. 

 - Route income was increased by assem- 

 bling cans for more than one dealer. 



The competitive reactions had been 

 borne more by the dealers and pro- 

 ducers than by the truckers. Routes 

 can be changed and pav adjustments 

 made. There was apparently little 

 turnover of truckers between dealers. 

 In most cases, the years truckers had 

 been hauling milk coincided closelv 

 with the years they had been with 

 the same dealer. 



2. Can Truck Characteristics 



The most common truck size was 

 the 2 ton followed by the l 1 /^ ton 

 and to a lesser extent by 3% ton 

 sizes. The stake type of body was 

 predominant in Vermont while the 

 van type of body was most common 

 in Maine. In New Hampshire truck- 



ers favored the stake type, although 

 both kinds were in use. 



Can haul trucks were commonly 

 rated from % ton pickups to 3 ton 

 stake and van type vehicles. 



The pick-up truck has an open, 

 metal bodv to match the cab. The 

 stake truck has an open, wooden 

 body with sides of four-bar wooden 

 removable units. The van type truck 

 has a wooden body with steel slide 

 strips. Sides, top, and doors are wood 

 and steel; and it is completely in- 

 sulated, but not refrigerated. Typical 

 gross vehicle weights observed were 

 as follows: 



Capacity % ton. 5.000 lbs. g.v.w. 

 Capacity Wi ton, 15.000 lbs. g.v.w. 

 Capacity 2 ton, 17.000- 



19.500 lbs. g.v.w. 

 Capacity 2% ton, 21.000 lbs. g.v.w. 

 Capacity 3 ton. 22.000 lbs. g.v.w. 



In the stake type truck, cans mav 

 be arranged in rows on the floor with 

 another tier on top covered with can- 

 vas. The van type truck has planks 

 for the second tier with holding 

 chains. Some van trucks have a cen- 

 ter walk with floor bins and upper 

 bins on either side. The upper bins 

 are generally used for the return of 

 empty cans. 



The majority of trucks (80 per 

 cent) were bought new. If bought 

 second-hand, then the most common 

 age at purchase was 2 years. The age 

 distribution of trucks currently in 

 operation is given below: 



Table 31. Age of Trucks Hauling 

 Milk in Cans: Percentage Distribution 



29 



